Classic Albums Review: White Light/White Heat

You know who’s weird? The Velvet Underground. Many people might recall a few catchy songs or Lou Reed when they hear of that band. Only a few people will think of how weird the band was in its early days. White Light/White Heat, the Velvets second album and last to feature John Cale released in 1968, is a testament to the band’s bizarre beginnings. The album largely contains avant-garde, rough quality, noisy rock accompanied by outlandish lyrics – two things which turned nearly everyone off back when it was released. With that said, White Light/White Heat has received positive retrospective reviews, as many of the album’s trademark characteristics would be found in future punk and experimental rock groups. Now let’s take a deeper look at the album’s content…

With a total of six songs, the album begins with the distorted title track, “White Light/White Heat.” An aggressive, distorted rock tune which describes the use of amphetamines, the first track is a perfect foreshadowing of what the rest of the album will be like. The second track “The Gift” is vastly different from its predecessor and is perhaps the most avant-garde track on the whole album. It features a spoken short story with an improvised instrumental backing and lasts for over eight minutes – a bore if you’re not accustomed to the weirder stuff but dreadfully funny if you listen to the lyrics. Continuing the album’s theme of odd content, “Lady Godiva’s Operation” follows “The Gift.” The song describes a transsexual woman who eventually dies from a botched lobotomy – the Velvets aren’t trying to be pretty here folks, and they could care less. “Here She Comes Now” is the fourth track and definitely the least-weird song on all of White Light/White Heat. It contains a fairly pleasant guitar part with a slightly edgy, power-chord laden chorus that dissolves into the noisier fifth track, “I Heard Her Call My Name.” But even when things seem a bit normal, they’re really not! If you listen carefully to “Here She Comes Now” you’ll hear a double-entendre that’s not as subtle as the one’s old Shakespeare used. As previously mentioned, “I Heard Her Call My Name” is an edgy, distorted rumble which has an uncanny quality that makes you want to jump and shout – at least until the guitar solos make your ears hurt. Then comes the pièce de résistance: “Sister Ray.” A monster of chaos that lasts longer than seventeen minutes, “Sister Ray” embodies all of the ‘unique’ qualities that separate White Light/White Heat from all of its contemporaries. Insane lyrics, piercingly loud and distorted instrumentation, and a kind of quality that you might hear in a dive bar, you feel an odd attraction to this experimental masterpiece.

So, how does one summarize this album? It can seem very simple; the recurring components, themes and quality might cause someone to dismiss this album as a bland piece of garbage. What those people do not understand is the raw power that White Light/White Heat contains. The album is a balloon on the verge of bursting, a balloon filled with the air of a type of rock that could care less what you think and just wants to make some noise. If you’re looking for a casual listen, you really shouldn’t listen to White Light/White Heat. However, those of you that are more dedicated to what you absorb should give it a try – there’s energy in the craziness.